M4.2 earthquake Fiji region
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck in the Fiji region on Sun, Dec 21, 1986, 11:56 AM GMT+13 (22:56 UTC), 504 km (313 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 Fiji region. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-12-20 22:56:10 UTC
- Depth
- 503.5 km (312.9 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 21.789° S, 178.418° W
- Region
- Fiji
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8Fiji region · 14522 days ago · 593 km deep · 57 km away
- 5.1Fiji region · 14515 days ago · 560 km deep · 88 km away
- 4.5Fiji region · 14511 days ago · 603 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.6Fiji region · 14492 days ago · 434 km deep · 95 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayFiji earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000311e. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 4:52 AM UTC.